The Preparation and Care of Insect Collections. 



177 



drawers absolutely tight or well disinfected, is a matter of the 

 utmost importance, for on this the preservation and perpetua- 

 tion of the collection depends. "Eternal vigilance" is the 

 price of these things. The unerring accuracy with which 

 "museum pests'' seek out and devour all unprotected 

 material, is marvelous and very disastrous. Chief of all 

 destroying agencies are the so-called "museum pests." In 

 this term is included small beetles belonging to the family 

 Dermestidce. Small moths (Tmeans) and " mites." The most 

 common are the Dermestes. Mr. Hornaday, in speaking of 

 Dermestes lardarius, says: "If an island of bare rocks was 

 born to-day in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and an unpoi- 

 soned skin of bird or mammal laid down upon it, I wager 

 that Dermestes lardarius would find that skin before sunset." 

 If you were to prepare a skin without poison and lock it up 

 in the bowels of a burglar-proof safe, not to be opened for 

 six months, at the end of that time you would find it swarm- 

 ing with Dermestes. If you ever omit to poison anything in 

 the shape of a vertebrate specimen, be sure your sin and the 

 beastly bugs will find you out." Unprotected insects are 

 even more susceptible to these attacks than preserved speci- 

 mens of the higher animals. The mites generally gain access 

 to collections by being introduced with infected material. 

 Dermestes and moths introduce themselves, attracted by the 

 odor that comes from dried specimens. The mischief is not 

 done by either the adult beetle or moth, but by their larvae. 

 The adult female deposits her eggs with unerring accuracy on 

 the proper food, and when the eggs hatch the trouble begins. 

 The presence of pests in a specimen can be detected by the 

 excrementitious dust that falls from it when it is jarred or 

 shaken. I have never had moths in my insect collections, 

 but once had a number of boxes infected with a "mite" 

 which Dr. Hagen identified as Tyroglyphus entomophagus. 

 This was the most fearful pest I ever saw, and its tenacity of 

 life was surprising. I used cyanide of potassium fumes, in 

 the boxes so strong as to destroy the pins without killing all 

 of the mites. Chloroform, ether, benzine and camphor had 

 but little effect. The habit of the mite was to burrow into 

 the specimen between the segments or through an opening. 

 Once inside, it would eat and multiply until the thorax would 



